


For What It's Worth

by aeriiin



Series: Collab Fics [4]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Collaboration, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Injuries, Post Overwatch Days, mentions of dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 13:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20694194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriiin/pseuds/aeriiin
Summary: After tonight, Hanzo was truly and completely retired. He and Jesse made fine money from their ranch, enough to get a nice thing here and there. But Hanzo needed the kind of money that could get something really, really nice.And that meant coming out of retirement for one last job.





	For What It's Worth

After tonight, Hanzo was truly and completely retired.

He had announced his formal retirement years ago, back around the time he and Jesse bought the farmhouse and settled into their lives as newlyweds. They had hung up their weapons, literally and metaphorically, gave up their past lives as mercenaries, and made a simple living off of selling fruits and veggies from their humble ranch. 

They did fine enough work to pay for the basics, and if they saved up, they could get something nice, like upgrades for the barn, a new silo, or maybe they could finally finish their collection of old Kurosawa films. 

But Hanzo needed the kind of money that could get something really,  _ really  _ nice. And that meant coming out of retirement for one last job. 

Hanzo winced as he drove over a dip in the road. In the backseat, his bow case rattled and clattered to the floor of the car. The gash under his glove burned white-hot pain with every grip of the steering wheel, and his right leg was not faring much better. He only had two more turns until he was home and then he could dress his wounds. Jesse would be asleep by now, after all, and Hanzo would take care to be quiet. 

_ And once that is done, no more of this.  _

His contact had been insisted on hiring him for a future job, to take out some suspicious business partner and earn another odd million for the work, but Hanzo had been firm in his decision. No more jobs. No more contact. He had already thrown out every last burner phone he had ever used, every alias and files were shredded and set aflame. Everything but his bow and his memories were all that remained.

It was worth it.

The car dipped sharply at a pothole again and he groaned at the new surge of pain. Perhaps he could be convinced of _ one _ more job. At least enough to fix the godforsaken road.

He pulled into the rocky driveway of the farmhouse a little after eleven o’clock at night. Cutting the engine, he checked his bank balance on his phone one last time, just to make sure the number was still what he was paid. It was, just as it had been when he checked hours before. He had to be sure. 

The front door gave a slight creak as it opened, and Hanzo stopped in his tracks when he saw a light from the kitchen.

“Han?”

Shit.

Jesse sat at the kitchen table, visibly tired and frayed with coffee in one hand and holo-pad in another. Tumbleweed was resting by his feet, though jolted awake the moment she sensed Hanzo and began wagging her tail excitedly.

Definitely not asleep.

“I,” Hanzo stiffened, his leg throbbing in new pain at the tensing muscles. “Thought you would have been sleeping, I apologize.” 

His husband stared at him and his brow furrowed, “S’fine.” He seemed to think for a moment before trying for a tepid but confused smile and a hesitant laugh. “Thought you said you were coming back tomorrow night.”

Hanzo tried not to bristle. He moved towards the kitchen at a brisk pace, trying not to hobble on his leg, and set his truck keys down in the bowl on the counter. “Genji was beginning to feel unwell and I left early.”

“Lookin’ a lil’ haggard there yourself, sweetpea.” Behind him, he heard Jesse stand with a grunt, joints faintly popping in the quiet of the room, and Hanzo felt Jesse’s right hand on his shoulder. “Favorin’ your one leg. You feelin’ alright?”

There was a palpable silence that hung between them, something so delicate Hanzo dared not to try and name what emotions lie within. Instead, he placed a hand over Jesse’s and turned back to smile at him. “It’s nothing, Jess, I--”

“What the--” Jesse pulled his hand back suddenly, and Hanzo watched in slow dawning horror as Jesse’s eyes darted between him and the crimson smudge on the top of his hand. Hanzo looked down at his own hand, seeing the darker-than-black stain of blood seeping through the glove, and looked up to see Jesse’s face fall.

“Jesse, I can explain--”

Jesse’s face was unreadable. Hurt, certainly, but there was more than just that behind that look. He sighed heavily. “Han, gimme… I want you gimme a straight answer here” His husband met his gaze and his eyes were begging. Hopeful, but hurting. “Were you really visitin’ Genji this past week, or was that all made up?”

“I... was.” He lied instinctually. “I--”

“Hanzo.” Jesse cut him off sharply. A wave of new anger rolled off of him like a heated fog. “I… I called Genji a day ago. Asked him how y’all were doin’, since I hadn’t heard from ya in a bit. He told me y’all were hiking Hakone, an’ told me you weren’t feeling all that great after.”

Hanzo flinched, and recalled Genji’s text to him about covering for him suddenly, and how the next time Hanzo needed to lie to his husband, he should not involve his brother without his knowledge. The comment had stung, reminding Hanzo of just how he was going back on his word to Jesse about retiring, but he had pushed through it to complete the bounty regardless.

In the light of the dimly-lit kitchen, his lies and dodginess were made all the more suspicious. Hanzo’s voice was lost in his throat, and hot shame mixed with the raw pain from his injuries. “I…” He stuttered, realizing he had no words and fell silent once more. 

“You weren’t in Japan to visit Genji, were you?” It wasn’t an accusation, but it wasn’t exactly a question, and all Hanzo could do was shake his head. Jesse’s face dropped further as the realization hit him. “You took a job.” 

Another nod, “Yes.”

“Why?” Jesse’s voice broke on the one syllable and a torrent of questions began bubbling forth. “Why didn’t you just say so? Why lie? Why, w-was it money? Do you need something, Han? We got the funds in our savings, we can… I-I mean… I…”

Hanzo grit his teeth. “I--”

“Hanzo, you gotta talk to me here--”

“I don’t want to lose this.” He forced out finally. “I… Yes, it was for the money, but I…”

The archer tried to look Jesse in the eye, but couldn’t hold his saddened gaze for more than a second. Jesse’s eyes were red, though, whether it was from lack of sleep or from frustration, Hanzo could not tell.

There was a long pause before he could find the courage to speak once more, and even then it was with a shaky, unsteady voice that threatened to crumble if it rose too loud. “Jesse, yes. I lied, and I know I have betrayed your trust. But I didn’t want you to worry about me. Or the farm. Or… anything for that matter.”

Hanzo carefully reached forward to take hold of Jesse’s hands in his. “I know we have money for emergencies, but… I was scared of losing everything. This was the last job I will ever take, I promise you this.”

Jesse was quiet, staring down at their hands joined between them with a kind of contemplative look that Hanzo only saw when Jesse was writing. He shifted their hands, examining Hanzo’s soaked glove carefully before pulling his right arm free and bringing it up to cup Hanzo’s face carefully.

“I’m scared of that, too, honeybee.” His thumb rubbed slow circles against Hanzo’s cheek. “The farm’s important: replacin’ old silos, fixin’ the road, food for the animals, all that stuff. I don’t wanna lose all we’ve got goin’ for us, either.” Jesse let out a shaky breath and pressed their foreheads together. “But there ain’t no replacin’ you, Han. You comin’ back to me, safe an’ sound? That’s all that matters.”

There were few words shared for the rest of the evening as they got themselves ready for bed. Hanzo quietly bandaged his wounds in the corner of the room just as Tumbleweed climbed up into their bed and curled up beside Jesse’s head. If he held his breath, he could hear the sound of Jesse’s steady breathing and the slight rumbles of snores from beneath the covers. 

In a minute, Peach and Fluff would come and settle themselves into bed alongside Hanzo. They would all fall asleep in a comfortable, if slightly warm, fluffy pile of family. They will return back to their habits with a tension that will fade over the course of the following week, until their argument was forgotten. 

But as Hanzo slid into bed, he couldn’t shake the ugly knot in his chest. He hadn’t  _ technically  _ lied. They needed money in case something important came up. But it also wasn’t the whole truth. Not exactly. Not quite there.

The ugly knot made him want to rethink, though. This tangled mess of emotions that made him want to throw the money back where it came from and forget about this whole mess.

Beside him, he heard Jesse grunt and shift in his sleep, his face contorted into pained winces. His fingers twitched against the sheets, and he watched Tumbleweed stir from her sleep to look at Jesse before shifting closer towards him and licking his forehead until he settled. 

Hanzo looked at the phone on the nightstand.

But he knew it was worth it. 

**Author's Note:**

> A fic/comic collab with [Jordan](http://ludwigplayingthetrombone.tumblr.com/) that's been in the works for a while!! Hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> Chapter 2 will be posted to Jordan's tumblr tomorrow!
> 
> Thank you for reading! As always, you can find me over at my [tumblr](http://aerihead.tumblr.com/) and my [twitter](https://twitter.com/aerihead/)!


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